NaPoWriMo - April 16th

April is National Poetry Writing Month. In celebration of poets everywhere, and to encourage those who are just embarking on their literary journey, I will be posting poetry (not mine) each day for the month of April. Please take a look and enjoy this special art.

Leon Gower

Why I write:

I have no choice. If you look in a dictionary you will find words, each one has a story beside it.
When I wake up at 2am the stories in my mind have no word beside them.
I have to build a definition for that feeling.
Then, I place a title on top, really I'm not writing poetry, I'm building a personal dictionary of feelings not easily expressed.
Every person has key moments in their lives, times where no single word is appropriate. This is when our minds create new definitions. New poems.

Who am I?

 I grew up homeless and am self educated. I believe a person must take steps in life, wait for the next wave to wash them back. Then take another step. Never give up and never expect to be helped. I am a Palowa. Tasmanian Aboriginal Man. 

More of Leon Gower's work can be found on Authonomy.

NEW BORN

A child cries as it enters the world
and so begins a tail
it speaks of fun, love and war
a mystery for us all
it's the stuff of life your looking at
the reason why where here
to love to hate to laugh at fate
most of it's done by ear
there is no script or story line
make it if you can
you have to try to work it out
we'll help you if we can
but in the end you will learn
one lesson and thats all
i don't know what, it's not my lot
it may be something small
but as you grow, you will know
the one thing you can't see
is your own life, in all it's strife
and how it looks to me

A LEAF

Living moving loving growing
sole purpose is to die
never can we understand
you only want to be loved
kissed by light, poisoned by time
such a sad, gentle way.